In basic research on brain science, elucidation of the function of information transmission between cells in multiple areas has been conventionally an important research project. Although there is an observation method for allowing multiple areas to be observed by moving a stage, multiple areas cannot be simultaneously observed or observed by rapidly switching among them by moving the stage. In contrast to this, for example, in the laser-scanning microscope disclosed in PTL 1, the light paths of two independent scanning optical systems are combined, and illumination light is radiated onto a specimen via a single objective lens, thereby simultaneously observing two different areas.